Bush: Secret wiretaps have disrupted potential attacks

A 2001 congressional act that authorized President Bush to use force in the war on terror also gave the president the power to allow secret wiretaps on U.S. citizens, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said Monday.

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[J.W.]

I just listened to a report on the radio there was a discussion from a legislator who was in part responsible for the electronic surveillance act of 1970 I believe. (I have to look up this act for sure. Shoonra this is a job for you buddy.) Anyhow, the act was passed to restrict the NSA from carte blanche surveillance over United States Citizens. No need to argue semantics regarding U.S. citizenship etc. here gentleman as their presumption is marching forward in either respect.

The particular legislator expressed Bush's admission of the domestic spying is most certainly an impeachable offense. Let's see what happens in the days to come, as this issue could get hot very quick with the right kindling.

Jason

[Admin]

Impeachable smeachable!

[fulltitle]

Originally Posted by androidmeme

A 2001 congressional act that authorized President Bush to use force in the war on terror also gave the president the power to allow secret wiretaps on U.S. citizens, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said Monday.

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WITHOUT PREJUDICE
I know an intelligence analyst who pegged the time of year and season that the attacks would occur. He didnt rely on single wiretap. He relied on open source information, history, perspectives, just plain regular HUMINT (i.e. conversations..buzz). In 1997 he gave a private talk saying the WTC would be attacked again and that compromised encryption keys would the center of how they'd pull it off. He specifically said "It will happen in the Fall of either 2000 or 2001". He even said it would occur on an anniversay of an event during WWII.He also felt that if there would ever be a military invasion on the USA would likely occur start the autumn or early winter. No further comments at this time.

[Shoonra]

But the 2001 act did NOT authorize the Prez to order wiretaps on his own whim.

In a public statement on April 20, 2004, and it can be found on the White House website, Bush said that ALL the anti-terrorism wiretaps were done pursuant to the Constitution, and each of the taps - including the "roaming taps" that tried to follow a person from phone to phone instead of just sticking with one phone - REQUIRED and had obtained a court order.

In fact, the Washington Post reported that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, the supersecret tribunal (presided over by the Chief Justice) created to authorize anti-spy and anti-terrorist wiretaps, had gotten hundreds, perhaps more than a thousand, requests to authorize wiretaps since Bush came into office in Jan. 2001, and had NEVER refused one.

Moreover, in the two or three months following the World Trade Center attack, it came out that the FBI, NSA, and other intel agencies had enormous backlogs of taped calls and e-mails to/from/between suspected terrorists ... but didn't know what was in them because the agencies didn't have enough Arabic translators.

Now, put all these facts together: Bush already announced that terrorist suspects were being wiretapped, that all wiretaps required court authorization, and that the govt has trouble finding Arabic translators, and maybe you reach the same conclusion that I do:

Bush is "concerned" about the newspapers printing the story of those unauthorized wiretaps, not because it warns terrorists, since Bush already warned them himself with his April 20, 2004 public statement, but because the wiretaps are not targeting terrorists at all; nor are they targeting any suspicious Arabs; they are targeting homegrown English-speaking Americans - primarily (I would guess) Democrats, and any sort of investigators working on cases involving Bush's buddies at Enron or Halliburton or etc.

At least that's what I think.

[idknow]

Originally Posted by Shoonra

But the 2001 act did NOT authorize the Prez to order wiretaps on his own whim.

In a public statement on April 20, 2004, and it can be found on the White House website, Bush said that ALL the anti-terrorism wiretaps were done pursuant to the Constitution, and each of the taps - including the "roaming taps" that tried to follow a person from phone to phone instead of just sticking with one phone - REQUIRED and had obtained a court order.

In fact, the Washington Post reported that the Foreign Intelligence Security Board, the supersecret tribunal created to authorize anti-spy and anti-terrorist wiretaps, had gotten hundreds, perhaps more than a thousand, requests to authorize wiretaps since Bush came into office in Jan. 2001, and had NEVER refused one.

Moreover, in the two or three months following the World Trade Center attack, it came out that the FBI, NSA, and other intel agencies had enormous backlogs of taped calls and e-mails to/from/between suspected terrorists ... but didn't know what was in them because the agencies didn't have enough Arabic translators.

Now, put all these facts together: Bush already announced that terrorist suspects were being wiretapped, that all wiretaps required court authorization, and that the govt has trouble finding Arabic translators, and maybe you reach the same conclusion that I do:

Bush is "concerned" about the newspapers printing the story of those unauthorized wiretaps, not because it warns terrorists, since Bush already warned them himself with his April 20, 2004 public statement, but because the wiretaps are not targeting terrorists at all; nor are they targeting any suspicious Arabs; they are targeting homegrown English-speaking Americans - primarily (I would guess) Democrats, and any sort of investigators working on cases involving Bush's buddies at Enron or Halliburton or etc.

At least that's what I think.

--
that horse has escaped the barn, it's no secret anymore

PLEASE STOP CALLING IT SECRET!? bahahaha

[J.W.]

I agree with Shoonra.

[Livefire]

Excellent analysis Shoonra......Welcome to AMERIKA!!!! All that needs to be done now is for the Prez to authorize another catastrophe and then suspend any and all Constitutional rights!